Over 50 years after their communities were displaced, 2 residents from Hogan's Alley and Africville connect
Irvine Carvery and Randy Clark did a walking tour of what remains of Hogan's Alley in Vancouver
Hogan's Alley in Vancouver and Africville in Halifax have a special connection, says Irvine Carvery, a former resident of the Black neighbourhood in Nova Scotia.
"Both of our communities were victims of urban renewal," he said.
On opposite sides of the country, Hogan's Alley and Africville were hubs for Black Canadian culture and life.
But residents of both neighbourhoods were also displaced by construction, causing ruptures in the lives of many Black Canadians.
During a planned walking tour of what remains of Hogan's Alley on Aug. 11, Carvery met Randy Clark, a former resident of the Vancouver neighbourhood.
The men felt an instant connection.
"Not only is there a kinship ... the playbook that was used by those in power, those in charge ... was very, very similar," Clark said of their communities' displacement.
Making people 'totally dependent upon the system'
Carvery was born in Africville, and learned of its history from his grandfather, who also grew up there.
"You won't find the Carvery name attached to any other community, other than in Africa," he said.
The town was home to a community of African Nova Scotians for over a century.
"We depended on each other to make it through the hard times," said Carvery. "It was really, truly [a] community."
Africville was razed gradually by the City of Halifax between 1964-67. Carvery was 13 years old when he and his family were relocated.
"With the move, they destroyed that community," said Carvery, adding that people were moved to public housing, and many soon had to rely on welfare support.
"They took an independent people and made them totally dependent upon the system."
According to Carvery, the move destroyed not only the physical assets of Africville, but also the culture and heritage of those who had called it home.
'We've lost a lot over the generations'
For Clark, Carvery's experiences of Africville on the east coast mirrored his own on the west.
Clark's grandparents owned Vie's Chicken and Steak House, a popular restaurant in Hogan's Alley that attracted many Black celebrities as guests. Clark lived across the street with his family.
The area was established as a Black neighbourhood in the 1850s. Like Africville, it was a hub for the local Black community for over 100 years.
It was razed in 1967 to make way for the Georgia Street Viaduct.
"[The viaduct] ran right through the block, and three blocks on either side," he said."That's why people had to make the decision to leave.
Clark says he recalls the city neglecting the area, and interrupting municipal services such as garbage pickup for the people who didn't leave right away.
"The buildings that people moved out of were being left to rot rather than being cleared away and something new built," Clark said.
"We've lost a lot over the generations ... Obviously we would've stayed in the area."
A coast-to-coast connection
Over 50 years later, Carvery and Clark met for the first time next to the Georgia Viaduct and exchanged presents: Carvery gave Clark a t-shirt designed for the 25th anniversary reunion of residents of Africville, and a limited-edition poster of Africville jazz musician, Joe Sealy.
Clark gave Carvery a picture of a current mural on the side of Nora Hendrix Place, a temporary modular housing project named after one of Hogan's Alley's most famous residents. The mural, depicting life in Hogan's Alley, was painted by Ejiwa "Edge" Ebenebe.
But the meeting wasn't only about looking at the past. For both men, it was also about rebuilding.
"I was very much interested in the work that the people in Hogan's Alley had done working with the City of Vancouver to reclaim their land back," said Carvery, adding he intends to apply similar strategies for the work in reclaiming Africville.
Clark says it's also about seeing Hogan's Alley as a community with a future as much as a past.
"We're looking for partners," he said.
"As the community continues to develop, we want to be a part of that."
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
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With files from The Early Edition